The Fish Room, 1232 Central Ave., is among the enterprises that are restoring vibrancy to the town’s historic downtown. Owned by Tom Bethke, who operates the store with the assistance of his son, Ben Bethke, this unique shop got its start in mid-April as part of the now-closed Pet Central — Everything Pet Boutique, 1224 Central Ave.

“We went in and asked Amy (Collins-Lumpp, co-owner of Pet Central) to set up a 75-gallon tank and try to sell koi on consignment,” Tom Bethke said. “She had had lots of requests for tropical fish so asked us if we would be interested in taking over a room over there. So, we invested some money in that. A few months later, she’s out and we’re out. Luckily, this space where we opened for business on Nov. 1 opened up.”

The new location is within sight of the old Pet Central venue and shares the same parking lot. Bethke said it is much larger and offers the business the space to grow in the months ahead.

The Fish Room serves the needs of fish hobbyists.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen Ben Bethke takes care of some of the fish available at the newly opened The Fish Room in Fort Dodge.

“Primarily we sell tropical fish — all types of fresh-water tropical fish,” Tom Bethke said. “We currently have in stock hundreds of fish — 50 or 60 kinds, mostly tropical.”

In addition to a wide of assortment of fish for indoor tanks in homes and businesses, The Fish Room also carries fish suitable for outdoor sites.

“We carry pond fish, too,” Ben Bethke said. “Koi is the main one. We also have different kinds of goldfish.”

His father said they had learned during the course of their first several months in business that there is a significant demand locally for fish to stock decorative ponds.

“A lot more than what I thought there would be,” Tom Bethke said.

He said the customer interest in the full range of what The Fish Room sells has been very encouraging.

“The response has been very good,” Bethke said. “It’s far beyond what I imagined it would be. I’ve already increased the amount of product. Goldfish, we sell thousands. I order a thousand at a time.”

The huge selection of fish is displayed attractively in tanks that line the walls of The Fish Room. Currently, there are 26 tanks and ample space is available to add more as the inventory evolves.

In addition to the fish, the store carries aquariums, heaters, food, decorations – just about anything a fish enthusiast might want.

“We also carry turtles,” Tom Bethke said. “We carry crickets, mealworms.”

He said the marketing game plan for this new venture will emphasize meeting requirements of existing hobbyists and increasing the number of fish enthusiasts in the region.

“We want to focus on the hobbyist,” Bethke said. “Getting kids involved is important in the fish business. Ben is into getting them into the koi, the pond fish.”

He said people typically develop an interest in fish as youngsters and with that in mind outreach to that segment of the community is a priority.

“We’ve started to work with the kids,” Bethke said. “We’ve had field trips in. There’s a foundation that will give teachers money to start a fish tank. I want to get that program started and make the teachers aware that it’s available. I’d like to have more tours and get the kids involved. … They start out small and when they find out how much fun it is, their tanks just keep getting bigger and bigger.”

The history of his son’s evolving interest in fish illustrates why this marketing strategy makes sense.

“My uncle had a great big pond in his backyard,” Ben Bethke said. “As a kid I loved it. It was just the best thing.”

He said his father’s tropical fish hobby also intrigued him.

“My dad has always had fish tanks,” he said.

Ben Bethke’s hobby blossomed into a major avocation and became one of the motivating factors behind launching this business, Tom Bethke said.

“Ben raises koi in his basement,” he said. “He’s got a basement full of swimming pools, literally. Just enough space to walk through.”

Both father and son said they are passionate about fish both as a hobby and a business opportunity.

“I enjoy meeting the people,” Tom Bethke said. “I really like it when the kids come in. I think if parents would allow them, some kids would sit in here for a couple hours watching the fish.”

He said fish as a hobby long has had appeal to him personally.

“I think it’s very calming and soothing,” Bethke said. “My grandkids love it. I have one larger tank that I have 25 or 30 varieties of fish in.”

His son said opening this type of store also is a good fit for him.

“I’ve always liked nature, so I enjoy the natural element and trying to recreate fishes’ homes,” Ben Bethke said. “They are enjoyable to watch. It’s fascinating.”

Tom Bethke has a message for anyone with an interest in fish as a hobby.

“It’s much easier than it used to be,” he said. “It used to be very difficult to keep a tank clean. With the filtration systems that are now available and the chemicals, it’s just not the problem it used to be as far as keeping a nice clean tank.”

Bethke emphasized that getting started needn’t be especially expensive.

“You can start out really small,” he said. “For a very small tank and everything you need for it, you are looking at maybe $50.”

Bethke said The Fish Room strives to provide affordable options.

“We keep our prices quite a bit lower than the competition,” he said.

For many businesses the weeks between now and Christmas are the busiest time of the year. Bethke said, however, the peak time for a store like The Fish Room comes just after the holidays.

“The busiest months of the year for this business are January and February, because it’s very, very cold out there,” he said. “As the temperature cools, business starts to climb is what I’ve been told. The colder the weather, the better the business. People aren’t out on their boats anymore, not grilling.”

During the next few weeks, The Fish Room will be open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. After the holidays the hours will expand to 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.